


Just for Us

by Name1



Series: Not Quite Canon- a CaraDin collection [1]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Married for the kid's training, Romance, accidental canon divergence, already basically married, didn't meet Jedi like this but oh well, idiots to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:48:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28397949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Name1/pseuds/Name1
Summary: Cara and Din come across a Jedi colony and request their help with the kid.
Relationships: Din Djarin & Cara Dune, Din Djarin & Cara Dune & Grogu | Baby Yoda, Din Djarin/Cara Dune
Series: Not Quite Canon- a CaraDin collection [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2079822
Comments: 28
Kudos: 85





	Just for Us

**Author's Note:**

> So, I wrote this after season one ended... And clearly before season two.  
> I obviously got it wrong about the search for the Jedi, but I still couldn't let it just sit in the drafts folder forget so here it is: an alternate way they come across the kid's 'people'.
> 
> This collection:  
> Cara, Din, and the fuzzy green bean in different scenarios that didn't quite work out in the show.  
> or  
> A series of stories I started a while ago that are sadly and accidentally no longer canon, but I love them anyway :)  
> I had so many drafts started after season one and during the first few chapters of season two that I had to finish them. Once more info came out and episodes were released I realized these ideas were no longer applicable, but here they are anyway :D

**Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde -**

Surprisingly, those few spoken words were the only thing it took for them to be married after almost a year and a half living together. There were no cheering crowds, no imploding stars, and nobody died. It was painless......

They didn't feel any different but everything was different all the same--no longer two individuals, but one person in the eyes of Mandalorians and everyone they came across from this day on. Uttered alone, the words they just spoke didn't mean that much, but spoken together they demonstrated every principle his people held dear. They meant the world to him.....

**We are one together.**

That was simple. They were a united front--the best of partners and friends, and even _family_ already. It was only the past year they decided to stop being cowards and admit there was something else there--that ' _something else_ ' that everyone pointed out on a regular basis. It had only been the past year as well that they'd added physical intimacy to their small bunk and there had been no going back. They were simply in tune with each other in every conceivable way. They couldn't deny it.

**We are one apart.**

They rarely separated anymore but when they did they were just as in sync as if they were together. They could anticipate what the other one would do the next system over and act accordingly. They knew each other's mind and heart and wishes. Distance didn't affect their bond whatsoever.

**We will share all.**

' _What didn't they share_' was the better question. The ship itself, bounties, meals, duties, chores, goals, a bed, a foundling....If you wanted to get more philosophical there were secrets, fears, triumphs, and regrets as well; but they shared all those too. They had from almost the very beginning. 

**We will raise warriors.**

Check. They were doing their best to raise a tiny warrior though his power wasn't manifested through punches or kicks. They were raising him to be a warrior in the other ways: strength of character, resilience, honor, patience, compassion and mercy. There were few times which called for no quarter, but they tried to keep that from him as much as they could. They tried to help him channel his power but they knew he needed guidance from others who shared his unique "gift" if he was to grow into who they knew he could be. As much as it pained them to admit, they simply couldn't protect him from everything and they knew they had to take a risk to open him up to others to supplement what they had to offer. 

Those words they said just minutes ago should have represented a monumental shift, but Cara didn't seem bothered whatsoever and Din wasn't sure what to make of it. He knew it made no sense that saying those words should throw him for such a loop when they already had all of those things already, but it kind of did. Perhaps it was because he never thought he'd get married at all. Where before, their thing was mostly understood and unsaid unless it was a life or death scenario, now the words just made everything official and real--a clan of three. With this new understanding and acceptance there was no denying it. They now had something to lose since they admitted it out loud.

Who knows how long it would have taken them to reach this natural conclusion on their own though without today's strange interference. It had been quite the fortuitous event that the sect of Jedi they'd stumbled across insisted that they could not land as parents of a sentient without fulfilling their morality requirements. To show their dedication to the kid they had to be married or these people wouldn't even consider seeing their boy or meeting with them in any capacity. The kid looked so pleased with the unexpected requirement Din wouldn't put it past his little fuzzy head for orchestrating the whole thing. 

Apparently, many people brought children to this planet not out of love or wanting to provide them with the best chance at a happy life, but for money or other nefarious purposes. Showing they were married and a stable home for the child was more of a show of good faith than anything. The Jedi had just spoken to them once, but if they were as powerful as they claimed to be they could see how happy Bean was in their unlikely family of three and that their motivations were pure. If a few meaningful words were a small gesture to make them feel better about bringing strangers into their midst, so be it.

.................holding in orbit..........................

..............roughly half an hour ago.........

"If we are married, you'll agree to meet with us?" Din asks, as he and Cara look at one another.

  
The answering voice comes through the speaker. "Yes. But trust we will know if it's a trick . We'll know if you are lying or if your intentions aren't just. Vows you exchange that are simply empty words are useless here."

Din wanted to make sure they had some sort of guarantee before they discussed this requirement any further. "And no harm will come to our child if we do as you say and then land?"

The leader of the Jedi outpost answers him. " _None_ ," he confirms, vehemently. "We don't hurt younglings and as long as you don't threaten our way of life you will be our welcome guests."

He expected Cara to splutter and fight and even curse, but she just looked at him as he closed the channel so they could speak privately. "What do we do?"

He wasn't sure what other options they had, but he didn't know how she'd take it. "We can be married by the time we land. It's up to you," he tells her. He knew that was the coward's way out--putting the ball in her court like that--but when push came to shove she was the better of them when it came to decision-making."

"How?" was the only question she had.

"It's simple," he replies, though his heart beating in his chest knew it was anything but. "You just repeat these words after me."

..................................

The three of them spent the first cloudy afternoon around the campfire watching these magical people they had just met with due suspicion. There were about twenty of them living in this settlement in total--the leader, the second in command, about a dozen adults, four adolescents and one young child. They were all very comfortable using their power and gave some harmless demonstrations for the newcomers and their 'baby'. It was interesting to see what else their own kid would be capable of if he had others to guide him. During the day, Cara and Din reluctantly took a step back to watch Bean interact with them on his own. He seemed to trust them so they relaxed the tiniest bit.

On a personal front, their first night married wasn't awkward at all--it was exactly the same as every other night. Maybe the word ' _married_ ' didn't really change anything; they had basically lived the spirit of those vows for a while anyway. They sat side by side near the fire pit and Din even enjoyed a drink in the others' presence using a straw they brought with them. A relaxed night for the two of them around a fire surrounded by trees and nature painted a nice picture. The fact that the kid got to play with the other younglings just made it all the better. 

Din thought things would be different but they weren't. If anything, it was easier to show concern or affection for her in the presence of strangers than it had been before. He put his arm around her where he leaned back against a tree and she settled against him easier than she would have before in foreign company. He and Cara could have been married for almost the better part of a year if he knew it could have been like this. This felt natural, like they had been married for ages; like they should have always been like this. The first night on the forested moon was calm and peaceful and they were shown to their private lodging where the three of them settled down for the night in the large single bed provided. It was larger than their bed on the Crest they shared, but they slept just as close as they always did--the kid asleep in his favorite spot at their heads. 

......

The second evening, the seemingly friendly Jedi came to take the child for the night cycle to administer a test of sorts, but Cara wasn't having it. There were six of them but Din watched Cara adjust her stance in preparation for a fight; her eyes glancing quickly to the door and the window and weighing her options. 

"We must observe his dreams in their natural state," the Elder's right-hand man explains to the nervous mother. "He changes his emotions as well as his wants and fears when you’re around. We have to see who he really is without any interference."

" **Interference**?!" she asks, totally offended. "Of course his fears are different when he's alone. We protect him. He won't know what real fear ever tastes like as long as we can help it." She'd felt enough of it herself for several people's lifetimes, and she'd be damned if that fuzzy kid ever even knew a taste of it.

"This is not negotiable, I'm afraid," the older man informs her. "If there's any chance of evaluating him or getting an audience with master Skywalker, we must know his true self and his motivations. The dreams of someone who has his gift are extremely telling."

"That’s not okay," she insists. "You can’t just invade his privacy like that." Din stood back and watched her. He was amazed at her protectiveness.

"We’re not endorsing voyeurism or anything untoward. We simply monitor his feelings, and projections; how he reacts to the force around him. I swear to you it won't be unpleasant at all for him. He won't even know we're observing him."

Cara's not on board with this at all and makes it known. "I'm not leaving him alone with strangers, I don’t care." Her hands tightened around his little body but he didn't squirm. He sensed her stress and sat still for once.

The older man makes a placating gesture with his hands and softens his voice to try to put her at ease. "I swear to you, no harm will come to him. He's extremely powerful; but even if he wasn't, we don’t hurt children. You have our word."

"Your word means absolutely banthashit to me," she all but spits at him, while trying to keep her cool.

Din could see she was getting agitated from the 'relaxed' shape of her mouth she was trying to force and the intensity burning in her eyes. He took a step closer in case he has to intervene to keep her from doing something stupid. 

"We will be careful with him. I promise you," the Jedi says once again, as he holds his hands out as if to take the child from her. 

"If you think I'm handing him over to strangers you can think again. Have you lost your damn mind?"

Her fists were clenched and her hand kept passing near her blaster instinctively. Din wasn't even sure she knew she was doing it.

"We don’t make a show of our power as I'm sure your little one does not, but I won’t allow you to raise your blaster here" he says, and goes to knock it away with a flick of his wrist. At the invisible force, it jumps out of her holster and it goes skidding across the floor. Bean didn't seem impressed with this strange man unarming her and raised a hand of his own on her behalf. His ears went up and the blaster slid back towards her feet and up to her hand, seemingly by magic.

Cara couldn't have looked more proud at their little fuzzy monster defending her. "Force or no force, I’ll kick your ass if you try to take him."

Din intervenes when he has no choice but to. He speaks to the leader of the tribe. "May we speak privately for a moment?" he asks politely, referring to himself and Cara.

"Of course," the elder said. "I understand your reservation. I am a parent as well, but we can help him. I'll give you two a minute of privacy." The door closed behind him as he saw himself out. Suddenly they were alone once more and Cara relaxed slightly.

He took her hands where she was wringing them together. Her hands were cold. He knew she was in fight or flight. She was likely to just grab the kid and run if he didn’t intervene.

"We came all the way here to seek out their help, Cara."

She'll always listen to what Din has to say, but she's still on edge. "I don't like it," she says fiercely.

"Is it your gut telling you it's a trap or is it just you being protective?" He'd learned you always listen to that little voice but he thinks her reaction is much more easily explained than intuition. 

The way she lets out a breath lets him know her answer without words. "Cara, we have to give it a chance. These are the very type of people we've been searching for this whole time. I get it, I do. If it goes bad we’ll burn this place to the ground. Sound good?"

"Kind of," she forces herself to admit, with a look so grumpy he has to make himself not laugh.

"I'll siphon off some extra fuel later just in case," Din states.

"And I get to strike the match, right?"

"Of course, I wouldn't dream of taking that away from you," he deadpans, but she can hear the amusement mixed with adoration in his voice. 

She finally cracks a smile but her grip on the kid doesn't loosen. He's looking between them curiously.

He tried to make her feel better about handing him over. "You know he can defend himself. Underneath that sweet face is a lot of power. They’ll never know what hit them.........he's a lot like you, actually."

"Shut up," she tells him, and lets him put his arms around her. "Flattery won't get you anywhere."

'What do you say kid?" she asks, looking down into his big eyes. "The choice is yours."

"You scared to go with them? You going to be okay for the night?" Din asks. He'd be lying if he wasn't slightly on edge as well. He hadn't spent a night without the kid since he took him in so long ago.

The child chirps happily and his ears don't lower at all. He looks confident and totally unbothered by the thought of one of the 'others' picking him up.

"You're a brave kid, you know that?"

She adjusts the kid in her arms and looks right into his eyes. "You let us know that special way you do, if you need us--the way we've been practicing." He could project things into their minds when he wanted something and it was a skill they'd been nurturing. Usually snacks or his favorite plushie were the images that floated across their consciousness, but his gift could be used to communicate too. They tried to teach him to project locations or objects during hide and seek to turn it into a game. Once he figured out there was a reward of a cookie or a snuggle at the other end, he learned to project his hiding place to them with better accuracy and regularity. They had been working on it quite a lot in case they ever found themselves separated, willingly or otherwise.

They let him go. 

They were anxious all night and struggled to fall asleep without their kid's comforting warmth asleep at their heads. After a night that seemed to stretch on forever, his smiling face greeting them at the door the next morning was one of the best things Cara had ever seen.

.......

Back in space the following days

They had a meeting lined up with this Skywalker guy so they got on their way. The order they'd come across had been so blown away by Bean they had given him a green light to forgo any other trials or evaluations and meet the Jedi Master himself as soon as they could make the journey. His power was unreal, they said--completely natural and untapped. Cara and Din had been proud of course, but also a little frightened for their child. He'd almost been an experiment once and Din wondered if that was what they were walking into again. Many discussions later, they decided to give it a chance. This Skywalker guy was supposed to be good. 

Din addresses the other gundark in the room. 

"Do you want to call it off," he asks her, without giving much context. "You want to undo it?"

"What?" she asked, unsure what he was talking about. The trip or something else...?

He answered her almost immediately, not leaving her to wonder. "You know....being married....."

"No, I--- I kind of like it," she hesitantly tries to explain. "It feels right, doesn't it?" she asks. "It doesn't feel like anything changed, but also kind of like it did."

That was the best explanation he could think of as well--everything and nothing changing at the same time. Like when he had gotten to know her and he felt like a whole new man and a more authentic original version of himself at the same time. He still remembered the first time he saw her real smile--not the one she put on for other people or had at the ready when she heard a joke, but the real one that was a little reserved and almost self-conscious. It wasn't the dazzling smile she flashed when she tried to impress a contact or even the teasing one he used to think was her trademark. The one that stuck with him was rare and strangely soft; gentle and understated, like when she talked about her life _before_ , and he'd never seen it around anyone other than him. He realized he was screwed that day. 

"I could get used to it," he agrees, thinking of how easy it seemed to be her husband.

"Me too. Day three and we haven't killed each other. I think that's a clear success."

"We do seem pretty good at it," he admits. There's no point trying to deny it. 

"Maybe we should have done it before if we weren't always such stubborn idiots.

"You can be right this one time." He takes her hand in the copilot's seat. The kid was asleep behind them . He'd had quite a few days being the center of attention. 

"It feels good being right, I have to admit," she tells him. "Maybe one day you'll know what it's like. You'll let me know when it happens, yeah?"

He couldn't manage to suppress the grin climbing up his face if his life depended on it. "Trust me.......you'll know."

Some time later she can't help but ask him the question that had been weighing on her mind. She wasn't insecure but she had a hard time believing she could be the spouse he dreamed of when he was younger. 

"Did you ever think you’ d marry outside your tribe--your clan?" she asks. "Someone who wasn’t a Mandalorian, I mean."

Din thought that answer was simple. He didn't even have to think about it. "I never thought I’d marry at all to tell you the truth," he says. "It always seemed like it was for other people but not me."

She nods. "Me too, but I guess things change," she says wistfully. She'd never even thought about it before she met him and realized she didn't want to live without this kind, brave, and selfless idiot beside her as one of them ran head first into trouble.

"Changed pretty damn fast too," he agrees. "The second I saw you I thought about wanting you as a partner--and I don't mean for jobs. I’d never thought about marriage even in passing before I met you."

"Ask me then," she says. "When there's no one twisting our arms."

"Will you marry me?" he asks without a moment's hesitation. "Not for the kid, just for us?"

He had a way with words to compliment her own, but she couldn't imagine it any other way.

" _Just for us_ sounds perfect."

**Author's Note:**

> Love to hear from you as always :)


End file.
